David n



(N9 Model.)

D. N. PLUME, O. G. ANDREWS 82; G. M. OONDIT.

BALL ORNAMENT FOR BEDSTEADS.

N0. 549,329.v Patentgd NOV. 5,1895.

AN DREW B GRAHAM. F3070 LITHO.WA5HI N GTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID N. PLUME, CLAYTON C. ANDREWS, AND GEORGE M. CONDIT, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN RING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,329, dated November 5, 1895. Application filed June 10, 1895. $erial No. 552,198. (No model.)

T0 or whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID N. PLUME, CLAYTON O. ANDREWS, and GEORGE M. CoN- DIT, citizens of the United States, residing at WVaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Ball Ornaments for Bedsteads, &c., of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of ornaments adapted to the upper ends of bed-posts and other articles of furniture it has been usual to pro Vide a nut for screwing the ornament to a rod or bolt at the end of such post, and to this nut the globular ornament has been attached, and in some instances the globular ornament has been made of sheet metal. This mode of construction is expensive and the parts are heavy, and where the nut is of cast metal its surface is not easily finished to correspond to the finish of the sheet metal forming the knob.

We make use of a' knob-base formed of sheet metal stamped up in dies and having an upwardlyinturned teat that is screwthreaded on the interior to form a nut for the ornament, and the base has a contracted neck around the nut and a flaring upper end, and the knob or globe is made of thin metal, such as steel, with a surface of sheet metal, such as brass, the rigid metal foundation being stamped up to shape in dies and the ornamental sheet metal being also stamped up in dies in the form of a short cylinder with a hemispherical bottom, the same being placed over the rigid metal foundation and closed down around the flaring end of the knobbase, preferably by spinning, and the knob-base and the knob are united and their surfaces finished, as usual. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the knob complete. Fig. 2 is a section of the blank for the knob-base with the inturned teat forming the nut. Fig. 3 is a section of the knob-base complete: Fig. 4 shows the rigid metal foundation for the knob in section, and Fig. 5 is a section of the sheet-metal surfacing for the knob over the foundation and to be closed down upon the same by a spinning operation.

The knob-base A is first stamped up out of sheet metal into a cylindrical or nearly-cylindrical form, as seen in Fig 2, and a central teat or nipple is pressed inwardly, as shown at 3, and then the metal of the knob-base is closed down to form the neck 4, which closely surrounds the teat 3, so as to aid in strengthening the parts, and there is an offset shoulder at 5 at the flaring end of the knob-base. The teat 3 is screw-threaded, as shown at 6, so as to adapt the same to being screwed upon a rod or stud upon the bed-post or other article of furniture.

The rigid foundation B for the knob is preferably of soft steel cut out and stamped up into shape so as to form nearly a globe, with an opening adapted to coincide with the flaring end of the knob-base at the shoulder 5, and a thin ornamental sheet-metal covering or surface to the rigid metal foundation B of the knob is provided, as shown sectionally at C, Fig. 5, a portion of such covering being cylindrical and of a diameter corresponding to the knob-foundation B, and this covering C has a hemispherical bottom, so that the cover fits'upon the knob-foundation B, and the parts are held together while being rotated, so that the cylindrical portion of the covering C is spun down upon the surface of the knob-foundation to form a complete ornamental cover to such knob-foundation. The two parts are now put together, the opening in the knob B C corresponding to the flaring end of the knob-base at the shoulder 5, and the parts are preferably soldered together, and then the surfaces are cleaned, polished, and lacquered in any usual manner to form the complete article; and it will be observed that this ball ornament is very strong and light, and at the same time the entire surface is of sheet metal, usually brass, that is smooth and free from imperfections such as usually exist in cast metal, and hence the surface is adapted to ahigher polish and finish than in to receive a ball or ornament, substantially knob ornaments having cast metal bases as set forth.

forming the nuts. Signed by. us this 4th day of June, 1895.

\Ve claim as our invention- 5 The knob base formed of sheet metal and g E% ;R Y

having an inwardly projecting and screw GIiORGF M threaded teat and an integral surrounding neck, closed around the outside of the screw \Vitnesses: threaded teat and supporting the inner end F. W. CHESSON, IO of such teat, such knob base being adapted .T. M. BURRALL, Jr. 

